Bala Monkey Mountain promotes rural vitalization

Qiaoyin town's Bala village in Fengshan county has become an ecological paradise where wild macaques thrive and people live in harmony with nature while pursuing rural vitalization.

Locals closed the mountains in the village for forestry in the 1990s. With more than 10,000 mu (66.7 hectares) of ecological forests having been gradually restored to over 95 percent, the macaques that had once disappeared have now returned.

In order to turn ecological advantages into developmental advantages, Luo Qiyue, a member of the Communist Party of China, together with villagers, set up a professional co-operative for breeding and farming, as well as carried out tourism development and construction.

During the construction of a newly built scenic spot, local authorities have invested more than 11 million yuan ($1.62 million) to help the scenic spot build its infrastructure and get through the difficult start-up phase.

At present, the construction of tourist trails, viewing platforms, viewing promenades and children's camps in the scenic spot has been completed, and they bring in an average annual ticket sales revenue of over 1 million yuan, which can generate a stable total annual income of over 100,000 yuan for locals.

At the same time, the scenic spot has opened shops for less fortunate households to sell their own local products and special snacks. During the holidays when tourism is peaking, some of the less fortunate households can earn more than 1,000 yuan a day from selling their products.

A group of macaques at Bala Monkey Mountain. [Photo/Hechi Daily]